Newspaper Page Text
Wednesday, June 7, 2023
The Braselton News
Page 3A
o
o
BRAG COMES TO BRASELTON
!■
,
1
Photo by Ben Munro
Cyclists from the Bicycle Ride Across Georgia park their bikes in the Braselton Parking Deck as they arrive in Braselton on Tuesday (June 6) morning.
State round-up
Wellstar officials grilled
over hospital closures
By Dave Williams
Capitol Beat News Service
Wellstar Health System
officials came under fire
Monday for committing to
invest nearly $800 million
late last year in a planned
partnership with Augusta
University Health System
(AUHS) after closing two
Atlanta-area hospitals.
Wellstar and AUHS
signed off on a 40-year
partnership in December
that included, among oth
er things, capital for a new
hospital, medical office
building and ambulatory
surgery center in suburban
Columbia County.
Just a month earli
er. Wellstar closed the
460-bed Atlanta Medical
Center (AMC). Com
bined with the closing of
a smaller Wellstar hospi
tal in East Point earlier in
2022, it left what critics of
the moves called a “health
care desert” in central and
southern Fulton County.
“There’s money,” state
Sen. Nan Orrock, D-At-
lanta, told Wellstar ex
ecutives Monday during
a meeting of the Senate
Health and Human Ser
vices Committee. “It
was just not spent here.
You folded your tent and
walked away.”
But Wellstar officials
told committee members
the decision to close the
two hospitals was un
avoidable. Wellstar CEO
Candice Saunders blamed
aging infrastructure, low
patient volumes, skyrock
eting labor costs and the
loss of coronavirus relief
funds that had been avail
able earlier in the pandem
ic.
Efforts to find a part
ner willing to help shoul
der the financial burden
proved unsuccessful.
Saunders said.
“We were unable to find
a partner because each of
them reached the same
conclusion we did: AMC’s
financial trajectory was
unsustainable,” she said.
Jim Budzinski, Well-
star’s chief financial offi
cer, said AMC’s financial
situation deteriorated from
a 5.2% operating margin
in fiscal 2019, the year
before the pandemic hit,
to a $109 million oper
ating loss during the last
fiscal year, not counting
the estimated 650 million
cost of replacing the aging
hospital.
Critics of closing At
lanta Medical Center have
charged racism. In March,
a group of local and state
elected officials asked for
a federal investigation of
both hospital closings,
noting that the areas they
served are mostly Black.
On the other hand, Colum
bia County, where the new
hospital will go, is primar
ily white.
Orrock and Sen. David
Lucas, D-Macon. com
plained Monday that they
weren’t told of the finan
cial crisis Wellstar was
facing until after the an
nouncement of the AMC
closing.
“These are my con
stituents. I represent that
area,” Orrock said. “I nev-
Professors lose challenge to law
allowing weapons on campus
By Dave Williams
Capitol Beat News Service
The Georgia Supreme
Court Wednesday dis
missed a lawsuit five Uni
versity System of Georgia
professors brought chal
lenging a 2017 amend
ment to state law that did
away with a ban on weap
ons on public college and
university campuses.
The plaintiffs filed the
suit in Fulton County
Court, claiming the 2017
amendment that decrim
inalized carrying or pos
sessing weapons on uni
versity system campuses
was unconstitutional be
cause lawmakers were
usurping the Board of Re
gents’ authority to govern
the university system.
The trial court dis
missed the lawsuit,
prompting the plaintiffs to
take their case to the state
Supreme Court.
In Wednesday’s unan
imous decision, the high
court ruled the lawsuit
moot because the regents
adopted weapons-carry-
ing policies consistent
with the amendment af
ter the General Assembly
passed it.
“Granting the only re
lief the professors seek
- a declaration that the
2017 amendment
Wittry continued from 1A
er heard a word about this
crisis.”
Saunders said she and
other Wellstar officials
asked state and local
elected officials for help.
While the state allocated
$130 million in federal
pandemic relief funds to
Grady Memorial Hospital
to help offset the closing
of Atlanta Medical Center,
nothing was forthcoming
for AMC.
“We did our best.” Saun
ders said. “We exhausted
all options we were aware
of.”
Public hearing
ahead for proposed
Del Webb at Chateau
Elan expansion
The Braselton Town Council will take public comments this
week concerning a proposed 345-home expansion of the Del
Webb at Chateau Elan development.
A public hearing is scheduled for Thursday, June 8, at
4:30 p.m. The Braselton Planning Commission held a public
hearing over the issue in March, drawing an overflow crowd.
The applicant, PulteGroup, requests annexation and a planned
unit development (PUD) zoning for 14.61 acres in Gwinnett
County and adjustments to the original master plan, approved in
1999, to move forward with expansion plans.
Pulte seeks to develop 28 homes on the annexation tract as a
continuation of Del Webb at Chateau Elan. The annexation tract
would connect the existing Del Webb at Chateau Elan with two
other parcels, already within the town limits, to construct 255
more homes. Pulte also proposes a separate residential develop
ment of 62 John Wieland homes.
The Braselton Planning Commission recommended denial of
both Pulte's requests during its April 24 meeting after putting off
its decision for a month.
The town council public hearing will be held at the Braselton
Police and Municipal Court Building at 5040 Hwy. 53.
constituted a separa-
tion-of-powers violation
- would not eliminate the
harm of which the profes
sors complain because it
would not eliminate the
immediate source of that
alleged harm - the weap
ons policy adopted by
the board,” Justice John
J. Ellington wrote for the
court.
Ellington went on to
write that the regents’
motivation for enacting
the weapons policy is ir
relevant. All that matters
is that the board adopted
the policy and was with
in its legal authority to do
so. he wrote.
County Poll Worker and
Center Church Council
Member.
Government service
includes serving on the
Jackson County Planning
Commission, the Jackson
County Board of Adjust
ments. the 2022 buildilng
Moratorium Task Force,
the 2022 Impact Fee Com
mittee and the Industrial
Development Authority.
“Establishing our resi
dence here in Georgia in
2012 has proven to be one
of the best family decisions
of our lives and has been a
blessing on many levels,”
Wittry said. “This county
we now proudly call home
is a truly unique part of our
state, blessed with beauti
ful rural landscape, amaz
ing resources, a prosperous
business climate, quality
educational systems and a
friendly and talented citi
zenry.”
“Past performance is the
best predictor of future per
formance, I believe that my
experience — profession
al, civic and government
— in addition to my love
of Jackson County unique
ly qualifies me to provide
leadership in the role of
Commissioner that the cit
izens of Jackson County
deserve.”
Steve and wife Karen of
40 years have resided in
Hoschton since August of
2012. They worship at Cen
ter Church in Hoschton.
Their granddaughter Kas-
sandra, her husband Derek
Worley and their children,
Asher and Mila, also reside
in Jackson County.
HIRING EVENT
WAREHOUSE AND OFFICE POSITIONS
THURSDAY, JUNE 15
4-7 PM
705 Braselton Industrial Boulevard, Braselton, GA 30517
• Bonus programs that include annual
performance, sales goals and profit sharing.
• Paid holidays and generous paid time off.
• Opportunities for development and growth.
Registration is required to secure an interview.
APPLY TODAY AT
111 uline.jobs
EEO/AA Employer/Vet/Disabled DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE